Five Things to Know about Colombia Before Visiting

1. Cash is king 

If you’re like me you love just tapping your phone to pay and moving on. So going somewhere that has a big emphasis on cash is HARD. There are so many places and street vendors that only take cash including ALL of Comuna 13. As a result, there are plenty of ATMs. I would strongly encourage using an ATM rather than exchanging your country’s currency. 

Map of El Dorado Colombian Gold from the Museum of Gold in Bogota

2. What season will it be? 

Colombia has two seasons: wet and dry. The weather in every city is different but in each city, the weather is pretty consistent. Medellin is also known as the city of eternal spring for its year-round temps of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I visited during the wet and rainy season. It’s not the kind of rain one might associate with the Pacific Northwest. It would be sunny with heavy clouds and the pour. Water gushes down streets, and cars are flooded with water- nothing I’ve ever seen before. 

3. Spanish 

Do not expect people to speak English. It’s very common for most places and people to only speak Spanish. They are so happy if you try and know some of the basics. With that in mind, just use extra precautions because some of the tourist areas will take advantage of the fact. 

4. Taxi Recommendations

If you don’t speak Spanish, I would avoid hailing a taxi off the road. It is common for them to drive further to run up the meter and make you pay more. Uber or Cabify (depending on which city) is great! I usually would pick whatever was cheaper whether it was a regular Uber or a taxi. It ensures you can see where you’re going and the price is fair. 

5. Public Transportation

I love public transportation in any city!! I think it was the best in Bogota. Medellin has it as well but I felt like the city was spread out. I walked everywhere in Cartagena and never even thought about using another method but they rail as well.  One thing to know that I thought was interesting in Bogota regarding using the bus system. YOU HAVE TO HAIL A BUS. There are so many different buses that come to each stop so you have to flag the driver for them to stop for you. It took a couple of buses passing me and watching an older woman flag a bus down for me to realize.